High
Flyer
Conversations & Canvas
The artists and their work, from the women’s program in Lincoln . (See pages 44-45 for the story and more pictures)
MAY 2016
888-762-2163 | topflightgrain.com MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 1
NEW BEGINNINGS by Scott Docherty, CEO/General Manager
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pring is a time of new beginnings in many different ways: new life, new growth, the beginning of a new season! The past winter was easy compared to normal, but we always look forward to spring. Our Magnolia tree budded out in early March this year, only to get a couple nights of hard freeze and lose its leaves and color. We are entering the spring planting season with plenty of subsoil moisture to carry us into summer, which is getting a lot of press with the discussions of La Nina arriving in July instead of August. The USDA March planting intentions shows the US farmer willing to plant 93.6 million acres of corn and 82.2 million acres of soybeans. The market will keep a close eye on the wet weather in the Delta and any switching of corn acres to soybeans or other crops. You may be sick of the political news by now; I am sure you will be tired of getting weather and La Nina updates by pollination period this year. If the acres indicated in the planting intentions come to fruition, and with normal growing weather,
both corn and soybean stocks will increase to the largest we have seen for years. The projected average 15/16 price for corn is $3.60, and even lower for 16/17 crop year. The projected average 15/16 price for soybeans is $8.80 per bushel, and again, even lower in 16/17 crop year. Reducing expenses will be the name of the game for this growing season until we get some change in the world economies and exports increase for whole grains and finished goods. As I said earlier, weather scares/problems will be closely watched for pricing opportunities for the 16/17 growing season. Topflight Grain Cooperative, Inc. will continue to build storage and increase leg and conveyor capacity this year with 2 projects starting this spring. Emery will be building a new 105’ diameter, 35 ring steel GSI tank. This will add another 745,000 bushels of storage. Our goal has been, and continues to be, not to use our temporary storage each and every year. The other project we have started is the updating of our Seymour location with a new 18,000 bushel per hour receiving leg, new fill conveyors, new reclaim conveyors, new motor control center and dump shed. We have some additional plans that we are working on at this time also, so there is more to come. Topflight Grain will continue with our facility upgrades and expansions to provide the services our customEaster with the kids, in our backyard!
2 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
ers expect. We are focused on meeting our next generation of customers’ needs as we grow our facilities. We offered a couple of grain marketing classes in March and had a great response. Dale Lattz from First Mid-Illinois bank discussed the financial side of today’s farm environment, along with Keri Richardson from ADMCRS answering questions about crop insurance. Drew Moore from FC Stone discussed how options could play a role in your Me, very proud of our grandson marketing program, and our very own Derrick Bruhn explained the different types of grain contracts that are available from Topflight Grain. It was great to meet and renew our relationship with many of our great customers. We look forward to seeing you at our annual meeting and/or crop tour meeting in August. We hope you look to Topflight Grain as a trusted advisor that will bring, and offer, quality products and services. Together we can create more value; as owners of Topflight Grain Cooperative, Inc. we can offer the opportunity of economic returns through patronage. We always appreciate your thoughts and feedback. If you ever have a question or concern, please feel free to contact me at 217-762-2163 or sdocherty@topflightgain.com Spring brings new life and beginnings to cultivate and nurture. Thanks you for your support and business!
Blaine, hunting Easter eggs
Denise & Blaine MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 3
CYCLES by Derrick Bruhn, Merchandiser
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he agricultural economy moves in cycles. It appears when we have an abundant supply, we have low demand in production agriculture. This creates challenges that are felt in all rural communities. I often joke that government stimulus packages should be focused towards farmers, because if you give them $1, they are either going to invest it or spend it to keep from paying taxes. If the farmer does not have that $1 to spend, then it is felt throughout the economy. With China sitting full of corn, and South America producing record amounts of beans, there isn’t a lot of export poten-
tial for the USA. Domestic markets are struggling as ethanol prices and revenues are much lower with the price of crude oil and gasoline. Bean crush margins are much lower than the last couple of years. I am still searching for a bright spot in the market. We continue to see land changing hands as producers are unwilling to participate in high cash rent
Mabry & Mylin, enjoying spring break
Mylin & Mabry, with me, for the Daddy-Daughter Dance
4 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
agreements. Barring a huge weather change, we are setting up to see some consolidation in production agriculture in the next couple of years. As with every cycle, there will be highs, if you can survive the lows. On the family front, we are getting settled after the move and are starting to be able to find a few things. Lynne will be graduating with her masters degree in May. The girls and I are very proud of her for taking this challenge on. Winter swim has ended for the girls. They had great seasons with both making it to district in many events and Mylin made it to state in two events. Mylin came home from state swim meet with eighth and ninth place medals. Both girls are currently playing in a basketball league in Bloomington for 6 weeks, and that will finish just in time for summer swim to start. I am sure we will have some softball games thrown into the mix this summer as well. We took some time over Spring Break and spent a week with my parents in Fort Myers. We had a great time relaxing
on the beaches and spending time at the pool. Take a few extra minutes each morning this spring to talk with your help about the safety concerns of the day. Have a safe spring!!
APPROVAL OF TRAITS In the past 3 years, seed companies have started to ramp up seed production with new traits. The new traits have proven themselves in field trials. Most producers are biting at the bit to get these new traits in the ground and growing. The elevators are excited about the prospects of an even larger bean yield potential. There is just one small hurdle to get over before this happens. The traits need to be approved in all markets before processing plants will accept them. All of us are aware what the lack of approval of a corn trait did to the corn market. With the US exporting a large amount of beans, the slip of this trait into the bean supply would be catastrophic to the bean markets.
HAPPY PLACE by Chelsey White, Emery Branch Manager/Grain Originator
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s I am sitting here trying to figure out what to write for this addition of the newsletter, all I can think about is in three days I will be in Florida with my family visiting the happiest place on earth, Disney World! I’m trying to remember the last time I had written an article for the newsletter and nothing is coming to mind, so it must had been the newsletter before harvest. Currently we are picking up our ground pile and getting it put back into the elevator. Since I’ve been here, this is the latest we’ve ever picked up the pile. It’ll feel good once the pile is completely picked up. By the time this is read, the pile will have been picked up for a while, and hopefully, the new construction of another 105’ corn bin will have started. You read that right, Emery is
expanding again, with another corn bin! Dan, Gary, and Travis have all been working hard on the upkeep of Emery. Without them, a lot of things would not be possible! Here in the office, it has finally picked up with the rally in the soybean market, which is nice, but will be short lived in my opinion. Poor corn just can’t catch a break. It will be interesting to see what the markets will turn to, and look like, once we get the crop in the ground. Cooper and Jeremy are both doing well! Cooper is in kindergarten this year and is going to be playing youth league baseball this summer! Let’s hope he will be my future little Cardinal! I hope everyone has a safe planting season and a wonderful summer! GO CARDINALS!!!! MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 5
WHO IS GOING TO HANDLE YOUR BUSINESS??? by Amy Brammer, Market Development
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very day I have conversations with customers (or their families) about paperwork/documentation needed for customer accounts… specifically about gaining access to account records when a customer passes away. We basically freeze action on accounts until we get all the necessary information on who has the authority to access this account. We need, among other things, legal documentation of who is handling the business affairs on the account now…Spouses…Siblings…Children. Who is now in control of the grain accounts? How does Topflight Grain know who the accurate person is to work with on getting the account closed out? The most efficient way is to make sure we have all the proper documents on the account to begin with. Use an Agent Authorization Form (a simple form, available from any TFG office) to let us know who has access to your account should something happen to you. (Or provide us with POA information.) If it’s a trust…the account should say Farmer Joe Trust. Don’t wait to get us your trust documents/information. This can get complicated if we find out after the fact that there has been a trust set up for years, and yet, there is no grain in the trust’s name, nor have any grain checks been written in the trust’s name. If it’s a small operation with basically one person involved, talk to your TFG office about an Authorization Form for who is going to handle your business if you can’t. Even Facebook has a field for a “Legacy Contact,” someone to manage your account in case you can’t. That’s basically what I want you all to think about, whether you are 20 or 80. Who is going to handle your business when you can’t? And…talk to your TFG office about who that person is going to be. It may change over the years (several times even!) and that’s ok, we can change it anytime you need to! On a more fun note, the family is doing great! Brenden played YMCA basketball and is now in
6 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
Midstate soccer and Forsyth baseball. Cooper and Brody have also started soccer and love it! Elliott is coaching Brenden’s soccer and baseball teams. I’m, well, trying to keep it all running smoothly! Have a safe spring! Happy Planting!
My boys – Cooper, Brody, Elliott & Brenden
Brody & Cooper
NEWS FROM ATWOOD by Russel Wright, Atwood Branch Manager/Grain Originator
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ast fall’s crops were again fantastic; we all know the outcome from that. So let’s proceed. Back in December we had our open house. Good food and good fellowship was the focal point for the day. We all enjoyed the Christmas holiday, and we all had a Happy New Year. January brought us not too harsh weather, so a lot of grain was brought in from the farm, as well as shipping grain to market. February was more of the same, except maybe that one day when the wind blew the snow around, making travel hazardous and prompting blizzard warnings and power outages. Let’s forget about that day and forge on. Happily, warmer temps returned, and some farmers were getting equipment ready for the upcoming field work. March came in like a lion so to speak, but you know how Illinois weather can be, just wait a day and it will change. Some anticipated field work was done in the latter part of March. That brings us to April, ah cold April, Mother Nature must have the calendar wrong; we are getting our March weather now. Oh well, it is what it is; we take what we get and we don’t throw fits. Bill and Jay have been busy loading trucks with corn and sending these to ADM or Tate and Lyle. They also emptied all the non-gmo beans and sent them to ADM. Now we are shipping out beans to ADM, as well as getting in beans and corn from the farmer. The mowing season has begun, so that will be an ongoing project around here. Some upcoming improvements for the Atwood facility are a new grain probe (the old one has almost lived its life)
and a new roof for the office will be put on. With all the strong winds as of late, almost all of the old shingles have blown off. Lucky for us, we’ve had no water leaks. The family is doing great, thanks for asking. Zac, the oldest grandson, was in the school play. He really did a good acting job; who knows he may be in Hollywood someday. His sister, Kady, is looking forward to summer and being a sophomore in high school next fall. Tatum Auth is also a freshman, has her driving permit, and played club volleyball this past winter for a team from Decatur. Now she is playing high school softball for Cerro Gordo/Bement. The Gibson City grandkids, Kendyl, Jaxon, Rylee, and Kody are getting ready for summer softball/baseball. Kendyl and Rylee are in the grade school band at Gibson City. Jaxon and Kody are enjoying listening to them practicing their instruments. Matt and Jodi are busy with their jobs at the U of I. Marcus and Jenn are planning an October wedding. Sarah and Tedd are always busy, either remodeling their house or fixing our house. Paul and Katona live in Newman. He works for Lyondell and she sells homemade soaps, lotions , and various other products. Debby and I are looking forward to meeting the Army family in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, this May. We will also be going to various sporting events this summer to support the grandkids. Everyone have a good and safe planting season.
You might be a farm kid if your idea of neighborhood watch is someone calling you to let you know your heifers are out. MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 7
HAPPY TO SEE SPRING!
by Larry Ackerman, North Region Operations Manager
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y wife and I are so happy to see spring time finally arrive. It seems like winter lasts forever when you have a toddler trapped in the house that just wants to run. But that is not the only excitement that warm weather brings. We have started a much needed upgrade project at Seymour. This is the first of three phases that will greatly improve our ability to speed up service to our customers. This first phase includes replacing the outside pit and receiving leg, along with some reclaim conveyors, and a new conveyor from the receiving leg running west. As far as the Monticello and Lodge facilities are concerned, we are just shipping grain and starting to clean bins. Monticello received all of the corn
Camden welcomed spring!
Camden and the Easter bunny
8 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
Wendy & Camden fishing on Easter weekend.
that we had in the ground pile at Seymour, and also will get all of the corn from Lodge. This will allow us to get that grain in the rail system. Topflight has also hired one more employee for my region. Robert Phillips is working out of Monticello and also floating around Seymour and Lodge. As far as the family goes, Wendy and Camden are doing great. Wendy has started a new job with Clarkson Grain in Cerro Gordo. Wendy formerly used to work for ADM and is excited to get to work with grain accounting again and enjoys talking with the farmers. Camden is getting bigger every day. We recently went down to Wendy’s parents in Kentucky for Easter weekend and Camden was able to catch her first fish while fishing with her grandfather. I don’t know if Pappy or Camden was more excited. Camden also went on her first Easter egg hunt. I don’t think she will ever be able to eat all the candy she got. Daddy might have to help her with that. It is an exciting time for my family. Camden is getting so big and doing many things for the first time. Wendy and I couldn’t be more proud.
Camden stylin’ her TFG apparel.
GROUND PILES AND CHECK LISTS by Eric Clements, Operations Manager
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he outside operations group has been very busy this winter shipping grain. We just finished picking up our last ground pile. We had covered ground piles at Seymour, Maroa, Emery and Milmine with total bushels under tarp of 2,600,000. The ground piles came up in good condition this year. All the employees involved with picking these piles up did a great job, as we had very little waste. We hired Dunn Company last year to asphalt the floor of our 1 million bushel ring at Milmine. This pile has never come up in this good of condition, and this investment will pay off in no time. We always have to be careful picking up our piles that are on limestone floors. If we get too much lime on a load, it can be rejected at the processor. Topflight has two John Deere 6420 tractors with
10,000 BPH Hutchinson conveyors for picking up the ground piles. These units are made so that we can use semis when picking up the piles. It sure beats the old days of backing straight trucks under the auger. The maintenance group is getting started with their grain leg and conveyor checks ahead of next year’s harvest. The warmer weather will help us complete this job. They have a checklist for each piece of equipment that we enter into the computer and file the checklist. This satisfies Topflight’s and OSHA’s requirements for a well inspected and maintained piece of equipment. I hope everyone has a safe and productive spring. MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 9
ON THE HOME FRONT by Sherryl Young, Merchandiser Assistant
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’ve been away from work for 3 months, so I don’t have much to say about work, other than there was a new face in the office when I returned. Welcome Susan Kalita to the Topflight family. We didn’t go south for the winter as we usually do. We stayed home to work on a kitchen remodeling project. We re-wired, put up new drywall, painted and put up a new ceiling. We are building our own cabinets with the help of my brother-in-law. We have the cabinets all built and are waiting on the doors to be finished so everything can be painted. The floor is in and just needs to be put down. Luckily, the new kitchen is in a different room, so we haven’t been without one during the process. When that job is finished, we will start tearing out the old kitchen to make into our new bedroom. Another project we did was to put up a new ceiling in the entry way at our church. The roof had leaked and caused much damage to the ceiling. We took a trip to Ohio to spend a few days with one of Roger’s Army buddies and his wife.
Working on the kitchen cabinets.
10 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
We have also been spending a lot of time with our grandson, Bronson. It has been fun, but he is growing up way too fast. We wish all of you a safe planting season and a successful growing season.
Our grandson, Bronson.
Bronson and Roger taking a cookie break at the church.
SUMMER IS ON THE WAY by Laura Tomlinson, Kruger Grain Originator
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pring forward!…..Spring has sprung!!…..May Day!!! Soon it will be “Teachers let the monkeys out” and Summer is on the way! Old man Winter…so sorry to see you go, but your sisters, Spring and Summer, are my favorites. Christmas was celebrated in style at the East Ranch. Every year I say I am not going all out to decorate, and every year my daughter convinces me I need to. I am glad I did, since we welcomed my close friend from Kansas City to share in our Holiday Cheer. Coming from a small family, she had never experienced anything close to the ruckus of my brood at Christmas. We were so glad to have her and share our Christmas traditions with her. For the first year in many, I actually had my house undecorated and put away before Groundhog Day! It was time to “unpack” all my crafts that had been hibernating for the holidays and get busy with them again.
My adorable little princess, Evalyn
February welcomed my newest grandbaby, an adorable little princess, Evalyn. Oh, her father says she will not be a princess – but who can stop a proud Grandma from spoiling her. After all, she is my only granddaughter and 2nd in line for the Crown. I stayed a couple days with my grandson, Boston, while Mommy and Daddy were at the hospital with Evalyn. That was a treat for me too. The rest of the winter went by in a hurry, and now we are ready for Rodeo season!! We already have one weekend done, and with 2 grandsons competing in different series, this is going to be a busy summer traveling from one end of Illinois to the other. If you are a fan of rodeo, be sure to schedule some time for the Illinois High School Finals in Springfield June 9 – 11. Performances will be held at the State Fairgrounds. Business has been a little slow at the elevator this winter. Low prices have kept farmers from intense selling. Bean prices have started to bounce back and draw some interest from our farmers for putting in offers and selling. The outside guys have been busy shipping and moving grain, making way for another, hopefully, bumper crop. Farmers have seen a little tractor time, and I anticipate things will get rolling in the field here soon. Topflight Grain hosted the biannual women’s program this year, which was a first for me. Our ladies did a great job getting it organized, and I think all the attendees enjoyed painting their masterpieces! There was certainly a lot of chatter and laughing while they were creating.
MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 11
MAROA UPDATE by Dana Shull, Maroa Grain Originator
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he men picked up our 500,000 bu. corn bunker by March 10th. The beginning of April, they started working on 100,000 bu. bean flats. We will continue to ship out corn & beans, and then start making preparations for the 2016 harvest. The end of March we had our Women’s Program. We had two this year, one at Cisco and the other in Lincoln. I had the opportunity to take along my youngest daughter, Paige, to the Lincoln program since she was on spring break. She had a fabulous time and enjoyed meeting everyone. Speaking of family, my other children are doing well. My oldest son just recently moved, so he will have a shorter commute. My daughter, Ceara, is staying busy with their little one (my sweet granddaughter) Lucy. She is walking (mostly running) and learning new words
It was good to have Holden home for Easter.
every day. My youngest son, Holden, will be graduating in May from Kaskaskia. He is planning on furthering his education. Paige is looking forward to summer break and joining the Decatur B.O.S.S program again this year. As I write this, planting season will soon be on the horizon and farmers will be in the fields again. I want to take this time to say how much I appreciate everyone who is a part of the agriculture business. Every year we work hard & get it done. No matter how involved –farmer, land owner, manager, agent, elevator personnel, IT support, mechanic, truck driver, hired hands, just to name a few. The list goes on and on if you truly think about it. We are all connected in some way, and together we make a great team. So… a heartfelt Thank You for all YOU do!
Granddaughter, Lucy, enjoying a cupcake!
12 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
Lucy on her John Deere tractor.
LOOKING BACK TO THE FUTURE ... by Andrew Hanes, Cisco Branch Manager/Grain Originator
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ne of the movie franchises that I really enjoyed growing up with was “Back to the Future” that starred Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly. It was a series of movies that found Marty McFly traveling back and forth between History, the Present and the Future to see how actions done in one period changed events in another. Why do I bring up the “Back to the Future” movies? There is a two-fold explanation… Last fall, my family experienced firsthand a loss that many of you have also experienced. My wife lost her twin sister due to a car accident. While you may have not experienced the loss of a twin, you have experienced the loss of a loved one that you have had a close relationship with. The last few months since her passing have been a time of reflection on what the past was with her, and how the future will look without her. As you may expect, some of the reflection has been fun and brought laughs, while other times have brought struggle. I do not bring this up to try and bring about sympathy or grief for me or my family. Instead, I bring this up to remind us all that there is a time to reflect, laugh, mourn and struggle.
The second piece of this puzzle is the time of year we are leading into. Spring is a time that brings about new life and sees the earth come alive with crops, flowers and all other forms of life. Leading into this time allows us to take a look back on how we have done things in the past, and how we are going to do things in the future. We can reflect on the struggles we have had, and laugh at mistakes made. We can learn from those struggles and mistakes, and possibly change how we are going to move forward. We all have times in our personal and professional lives that we wish we could change or have done differently. Unfortunately, we cannot be like Marty McFly and use a DeLorean to go back into history and change the outcome to work more in our favor. All we can do is move forward, make adjustments and figure out how we can use our past experiences to improve our future experiences. We never know when our past can help out our – or someone else’s – future. Everyone stay safe as we work through the rest of spring and lead up to Harvest.
MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 13
HOW TIME FLIES by Gerry Lolling, Western Region Operations Manager
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t’s hard to believe that I’ll have a grandson gradu- one in Atlanta and one at Kruger. We also will be ating this year, and I just had a new one arrive, installing the last one of our remote controlled and five more in between! With summer coming sweeps in Beason. This will help us toward our zero on, and every one outside, I think this PAPA will entry policy with OSHA, and make it safe for all. need a new pair of sneakers just to keep up. Scott and Martin have been busy with repairs and Here in the West, grain movement has been at a installing ladders and platforms. We’re getting a steady pace since harvest. All of the 2015 crop is good start on emptying a few bins while the weathgone from the flat at Lawndale. We’re very pleased er is cool. on how well it stayed in good condition. HOPE ALL HAVE A SAFE PLANTING SEASON. We will be installing two new conveyors this year, Two of our seven grandkids:
You might be a farm kid if you have ever combined pajamas and rubber boots to do midnight calf checks. 14 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
TRACTOR RIDES AND TRACTOR DRIVES by Andy Lawhead, Bement Grain Originator
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AGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) is an annual seven-day bicycle ride across Iowa that started in 1973. RAGBRAI is the longest, largest and oldest touring bicycle ride in the world. The ride is planned and coordinated by the Des Moines Register newspaper, and attracts thousands of riders from all 50 states and many countries around the world. It begins somewhere along Iowa’s western border on the Missouri River, and ends along the eastern border on the Mississippi River, and changes each year. So what does RAGBRAI have to do with tractor rides/ drives??? Tractor rides and drives came about as a spinoff of RAGBRAI. Mark Pearson and Gary Wergin thought if they can do it with bicycles, why can’t we do it with tractors? Mark and Gary’s main idea for the ride was to encourage farmers to have a little fun and showcase Iowa agriculture as it is and was. And so it began, the first tractor drive . “WHO Radio Tractor Ride” was in 1996 and went from Grinnell, IA to Des Moines, IA at a whopping 10 MPH. As Max Armstrong says in his article ‘A Time to Reminisce’ – “It is true that these machines were designed to spend more time in the field than on the road. But the movement of tractors and their implements from farm-to-farm and field-to-field was an exciting experience for young farm boys back then. And now some 40-50 years later the thrill has really never faded. We remember what it was like to pull out onto the road and shift into “road gear”.” In 1996, this ride attracted just over 100 tractors and was a one day event that piled all the tractors into one group. Unfortunately the two founders (Mark and Gary) of this ride have since passed away, but this event continues to plow on due to the seed they planted in 1996. Fast-forward to today and this event has grown significantly over the years to 530 tractors/drivers in 2015. The ride is now split
into 8 groups that have staggered departure times to minimize congestion, avoid backing up traffic for prolonged periods of time, and most importantly, the rider’s safety! This ride is now a 3 day event with overnight stops in two different towns. The WHO Tractor Ride is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and is going back to where it all started… Grinnell, IA. You may be pondering when and where the 1st Illinois drive was, much like myself. After trying to “Google” some history on tractor drives, and getting nowhere, I decided to try and get in touch with Max Armstrong due to his ties with the Half Century Progress Show. Little did I know that Max would provide me with so much “meat and potatoes” for this article. The first Illinois tractor ride “Heritage Tractor Adventure” was started by Max Armstrong in 2001 in downtown Joliet, IL. This one day event grabbed the attention of several tractor enthusiasts, especially those along the I-80 corridor. While visiting with Max about the ride’s goals, he said one thing, “It’s not a race, just a journey”. And in his next breath he said “Safety First & Follow All Rules” to insure safety for the riders and innocent bystanders. Over the years, this ride continued and changes its route yearly, but keeping it in the I-80 area. The Heritage Tractor Adventure was a successful ride for several years, and 2013 was the last year for it. That year Max led over 200 tractors through communities of the I&M Canal such as Streator, Ottawa, Sheridan and more. Remembering back to Max’s comment about “Safety First” is what ultimately led them to terminate the Heritage Tractor Adventure. The rural I-80 corridor area simply became too congested, and safety for all involved was a growing concern, so they decided to merge with the Half Century Ride. Andy Lawhead article continued on page 16 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 15
The Half Century of Progress Show came about in 2003 as a result of agriculture tractor and equipment fanatics wanting to put on a little vintage display in conjunction with the 50th Farm Progress Show held that year in Armstrong, IL. Hence, how the name Half Century of Progress Show was derived. So in 2003, Darius Harms and a group from the I&I Tractor Club in Penfield put together a tractor drive that started at Penfield and ended at the Farm Progress Show in Armstrong, IL. Harms said “what better way to see the country side then at a slow pace on a tractor”. Harms also can’t believe how much interest tractor drives have gained over the years and the people he has met. So what kind of preparation goes into putting on a tractor drive? Become a part of the committee for the 1st Annual Piatt County Farm Bureau Foundation Tractor Drive this year as we wind our way through the country and scenic Allerton Park!!! Thanks to Max Armstrong, Darius Harms, and Joe Warters for the great stories and wealth of knowledge they shared with me while I was trying to put all the pieces of this puzzle together.
Some Tractor Rides This Summer…
Event Name Amish Country Tractor Cruise Covered Bridge Tractor Drive WHO Tractor Ride I&I Historic Farm Days Tractor Drive (Twilight Drive) Emmett Sefton Memorial Tractor Drive Piatt County Farm Bureau Foundation Tractor Drive
Date June 18, 2016 June 25 & 26 June 27-29 July 8, 2016
Location Arthur, IL Rockville, IN Grinnell, IA Penfield, IL
Contact Person Jim Fleming 217-791-1026 Joe Warters 765-362-0910 nickbruns@iheartmedia.com Darius Harms 217-202-0970
July 17, 2016
Mt. Zion, IL
Tim Stocks 217-877-2436
July 23, 2016
Cisco, IL
16 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
Emily Zelhart 217-762-2128
Onto the home front‌life is good; the kiddos keep Heather and me on the move. Emma turned 6 in March and loved every minute of her kindergarten school year. Wyatt continues to be just plain ornery (must be the boy in him) and will be 4 in August. He claims to be looking forward to Pre-K next year‌time will tell! This summer will be a busy one for us as the kids partake in various camps, swim lessons and t-ball. Hopefully we can find some time for a little R&R at the lake and sneak in a family vacation. Everyone have a safe and enjoyable summer!!!
Great-Grandpa Paul & Wyatt doing chores on the farm.
Emma & I dressed for the Daddy-Daughter Dance.
Heather & me at the Grain & Feed Convention. MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 17
THE GOOD TIMES WE HAD, THE GOOD TIMES TO COME! by Rodd Runyen, Accountant
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s I have mentioned in articles past, I grew up in Oreana. While growing up there in the 1970’s, the town never had any entertainment businesses to offer us. We had to make our own entertainment. For us, it was baseball at the “Phone Company”, or fort building and baseball at “The Bins”. I talked about both the GTE building and The Bins in the April 2012 High Flyer. But if we wanted business entertainment to go to, we had to leave Oreana and go to Decatur, which was close by. Back then, these items were a luxury, not an everyday occurrence like it is today! For movies, we went to the Lincoln Theater, The Avon Theater, The Rogers Theater, The Decatur Drive-In, and the 121 Outdoor Drive-In. It was awesome to watch the movies on the big screen. Unfortunately, the 2 drive-in theaters and the Rogers are gone now. For bowling, we went to Pla-Mor Lanes, the Eldorado Bowl, and the Pershing Bowl. It seemed like we would go to these for birthday parties. It was always a good time with our friends. Sadly, the Eldorado Bowl and Pershing Bowl are both gone now too. Many a birthday party was also spent at Shakey’s Pizza Parlor on Pershing Road. Pizza and movies were always a hit in there. But sadly, it closed many years ago and now is another business. For roller skating, we went to Great Skate North. Great Skate South was too far south for us. It was a very popular place in the 1970’s. It was located in the Argenta-Oreana school district, so it was a spot where many went. Although Great Skate South is closed now, Great Skate North is still open, but under a different name. For miniature golf, we went to a course that was located off Pershing Road and Oakland Avenue. It had a hole where you could win a free bottle of Coca-Cola if you hit a hole-in-one. It also had a hole with a skyscraper that your ball went up into an
18 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
elevator and came back out. We went there many times, but it eventually closed and was replaced at Nelson Park by the miniature golf course that is now gone also. The miniature golf course in Nelson Park was located at the former location of the crown jewel for entertainment for 1970’s kids in Decatur – Joyland! Joyland Amusement Park was in Nelson Park, right off of 22nd Street and Lake Shore Drive. It was amazing as a kid. It had a train that circled around the outside of it. A big Ferris wheel was located in the back corner. A Super Slide was located in the other back corner. You got your cloth sack and headed up the stairs to the top. You then sat on the cloth and slid down. I also remember a Scrambler, a Tilt-A-Whirl, a ride with cars hanging from chains that went in a circle, and more. Older generations will probably remember Chaps Amusement Park on the north side of Decatur, but it was gone before my time. Joyland was the only amusement park in Decatur during the early 1970’s. I look back at Joyland now, and it pales in comparison to a real amusement park. It would be compared to what we call a carnival now. But if you wanted a place to go to have fun back then, it was awesome. Sadly, Joyland closed in 1975. I have seen a clip on YouTube of Joyland, so if you get a chance, look it up and fondly remember it. Today, you hear a lot of people say that there is nothing to do. But back then, there was a lot you could do, and we didn’t have the cell phones or computers that took away from our fun. We created it ourselves, or enjoyed what was available. Sadly, as technology advanced, it helped to bring about the demise of many of these types of businesses. Many of today’s youth will never experience the good times we had, and they also will never understand how these “boring” activities were so exciting to several generations.
On a personal note, our oldest daughter, Sara, informed Tera and me in January that we are going to be first-time Grandparents in September! We are very excited for this new chapter in our lives! With our youngest child graduating high school, it will be the circle of life starting over again. We will be finding out if it is a boy or girl in the near future, so it will be an exciting year for us! We have heard that being a grandparent is the most awesome thing in the world, so we are looking forward to it. Here is a picture of Sara and Derrick that they sent out on Facebook to announce the pregnancy:
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WINTER FOCUS MEETINGS
ement, Maroa and Lincoln were the sites of this winter’s Focus meetings. The Bement group met for breakfast on February 17, the Maroa group met for lunch on February 17, and the Lincoln group met for breakfast on February 19.
At the meetings, Derrick presented a market outlook, ADMCRS provided an update on crop insurance and Scott talked about the facility upgrades. The meetings were informative and covered information on several different topics important to Topflight Grain patrons.
The Bement farmers enjoyed a great breakfast catered by the Lucky Monkey. MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 19
ONE FULL ROUND
by Evan Brewbaker, Seymour Grain Originator/Branch Manager
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ith the onset of spring, it has marked the one year anniversary of my time with Topflight Grain. It has been both an eventful and interesting year here at Seymour. We saw one of the quicker harvests this past fall, along with record yields on beans and near record corn yields. I feel somewhat spoiled with the 2015 harvest, since it was about a week shorter than our historical harvest periods which allowed me more time to get out in the great outdoors during the prime deer season. Since harvest has ended, we prepared for the construction that has now started. There will be a new receiving leg and conveyors that will improve our unload times tremendously, as well as some new reclaim conveyors. We look forward to an even smoother harvest this upcoming year, as well as in the future years, as the construction phases continue to get completed.
As we look forward to the 2016 planting and growing seasons, there is still optimism. By the time this is published, hopefully everyone has their
East support pole set for the new leg.
Crew removing the old reclaim conveyor underneath one of the Columbians.
20 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
Crews setting the west support pole for the new leg.
crops in the ground and is seeing good germination and growing. I have been to both southern and northern Illinois, and the trend has been wet with the occasional 2-4 day period of dry. Back home, in southern Illinois, my buddies have been working ground and applying anhydrous when possible, just the same as around here. The winter wheat has taken off and is already a foot high in some areas; however, so have the weeds in other fields without crops in them. Hopefully the weather will break so everyone can get back in the field. Everybody stay safe and have a great summer!!!
Pulling the new buckets into the leg casing.
BENEFITS OF GRAIN PAYMENTS THROUGH ACH by Jeremy Welch, Controller
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ur grain accounting system allows for patrons to have grain checks direct deposited through the Automated Clearing House (ACH). ACH’s are utilized by the government, consumers, and businesses to transact more than $40 trillion annually. The network connects participating U.S. financial institutions and acts as a central hub to accumulate and process electronic funds transactions safely and securely. Benefits of direct deposit are increased security, quicker access to funds, convenience, and cost savings to the cooperative. ACH transactions are electronic and move from one financial institution to another, greatly reducing the number of people handling the transaction. Access to funds is increased. As grain is settled, we send the ACH that evening with funds available the next day (a settlement sheet will still be mailed, or emailed, to you for your records). Paper checks deposited may not be available immediately; financial institutions can hold funds for up to 5 days if the check was drawn from an out of state bank, or typically could be held for 2 days if it is a local bank. ACH’s eliminate delayed mail service, trips to the bank, and the need to make special arrangements if on vacation
or away for an extended period of time. In 2002, the number of electronic transactions processed surpassed paper checks and has steadily increased ever since. ACH’s cannot be lost or misplaced eliminating the need to incur stop payment fees for reissued checks. Businesses also realize cost savings by transmitting funds electronically in seconds without additional material, compared to paper checks that require paper, special ink, printing capability at each facility and time involved to create. It doesn’t sound like much, but over time it is significant. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency estimates that paper check transactions could cost five times more than the same processed as an ACH. If you are interested in ACH/direct deposit, please call your local branch to get set up. It is a simple form to complete. We are not able to initiate ACH’s for anyone with bank liens. Those must still be transacted as paper check, but could resume ACH once the lien has been relieved. Anyone involved in a split settlement arrangement must all choose the same method of payment. In the future, we hope to add ACH as an option to other patron transactions as well.
MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 21
WHAT A DIFFERENCE! by Eric Briggs, UPLLC, Sales Agronomist
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hat a difference a year makes! One year ago, where I currently am sitting, there was nothing but an empty dirt lot and the remnants of a corn pile. Now, we have a fully automated chemical building, shop, office, and anhydrous ammonia tanks and riser. It has been truly amazing watching the progress that has been made! We, at United Prairie, are excited and happy to provide service to you for many, many years to come. First off, I would like to thank everyone that attended our open house on Thursday, March 24th. It was an exciting day! Growers got to interact with United Prairie’s management team, Agronomy team, and Sales Team. WHOW was broadcasting live and many people were here the entire day. Throughout the day, many tours of the facility were given, questions were answered, and new business relationships were formed. I would also like to
thank the Maroa-Forsyth FFA chapter for their assistance during the day and prior to the open house. Secondly, I know that I gave a background of United Prairie in my article 6 months ago, but in that time there has been a few changes and everyone has slept since then. We are a full service retailer that offers fertilizer, seed, chemical, lime and technology solutions for all of our growers. We are partially owned by Topflight Grain Cooperative, Premier Cooperative, Inc., and CHS. Those local companies help us stay tied to your communities. There are currently eight United Prairie facilities located at Tolono (Apex), Ivesdale, Pierson, Dewey, Jamaica, White Heath, Emery, and Crescent City, our newest and northernmost facility. We know there are a lot of options out in the marketplace and that it can sometimes be incredibly confusing, but we hope that with our innovative and proactive approach to Agronomy we can set United Prairie apart. That’s
Many thanks to the Maroa-Forsyth FFA for their assistance at Open House.
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where our Innovation Farm, located east of Sadorus, and our in-house agronomist, Jeff Brown, allows us to perform many different replicated trials. We are currently looking at nitrogen rates, timing and stabilizers, foliar micronutrient corn and soybean applications, and soybean seed treatments to name a few. This gives us confidence in our recommendations that we offer to you and in turn, makes you the most return on investment! Not only are these studies being done at our farm, but many other growers are performing independent trials. If these trails are something that interest you, and you would like to be a part of one of them, please contact me and we will gladly get you lined up! If you have any in season needs with seed, chemical, and fertilizer, give United Prairie or myself a call and we will get you taken care of.
Lastly, we know that there are a lot of options out there in the world of agricultural retail, but with United Prairie’s commitment to service, our ongoing Innovation farm and on-farm studies, and our knowledgeable staff, we are confident that we can help you make the best decisions for your operation and look forward to earning your business! Have a safe spring!! Eric Briggs-Sales Agronomist 217-714-7523 ebriggs@unitedprairie.com Kyle Cresap –Location Manager 217-840-6864 kcresap@unitedprairie.com
Todd Shunk, Sales Manager, & Tal Holmes, Seed Manager.
Tim Hughes, General Manager, visits with WHOW radio MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 23
CHANGE & ADAPT
by Todd Steinberg, Western Region Division Manager
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ouldn’t it be nice to have a crystal ball? Or maybe even a magic wand? I can think of all sorts of things to use the crystal ball for. We would be able to see what the future holds... What kind of crop yields we would have, what the grain markets are going to do in the future, and what the weather is going to be like and so much more. We would make decisions based on what we saw in the crystal ball, and make changes in our personal lives as well. I guess that would take out all of the excitement in our lives though. Being able to see the future would really be a way we could make better decisions. Or would it? Both personally and professionally we set goals for ourselves. We may not have a mission statement personally, but we probably have one professionally. Topflight has a mission statement. It is “we are committed to the future of agriculture by improving the profitability of our customers through quality service and exceptional people”. We have a “commitment to the future of agriculture” ... That’s a pretty big statement. Man oh man, would that crystal ball come in handy here so that we could assure our patrons 100% that they would be more profitable in their future. Topflight has to change and adapt in order to move forward in the future. Personally, adapting to change is what helps us enjoy life more and not be so stressed out by the little things. Change isn’t always easy. Change happens whether we want it to or not. Changes we feel are important to some may not be as important to others. Finding that middle ground for change can be a challenge. Topflight is up for that challenge. We understand that change is difficult sometimes. If we are able to respect and understand others’ views of situations
24 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
Beau
Zoey
Zoey & Bradley
Beau & Bradley
of change, that is certainly the best scenario. Also from the mission statement, “quality service and exceptional people” ...will assure that Topflight has done all that it can do to contribute to the profitability factor of our patrons. We pride ourselves in quality service and exceptional staff. Change occurs in both of these areas, but our commitment to you, our patrons, never waivers. Add change together from our personal lives to our work life and you have many peaks and valleys in life. But without that, life could be pretty boring. Keep accepting change, and know that often times, change is how we move forward in life. A quote from John F. Kennedy sums it up. “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” Topflight hopes your planting season goes smoothly and without incident!
Beau
You might be a farm kid if you agree that the 5 gallon bucket is one of the greatest devices every invented. MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 25
Remember With Us Past Women’s Programs .....
Ruby Fay, Virginia Clark, and Marcella Woodyard; 1989
Rosella Laley; 1989 Barb Hinton and Betty Whalen; 1995
Vicki Larson and Georgia Larson, 1992
Harriett Huffington and Doris Fay; 1995
Theda Williams, Vanessa Stinson, and Pam Jarboe; 1992
26 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
Jessica Lubbers; 1988
Denise Docherty, Vicki Larson and Diane Hendrix; 1996 Rosie Brandenburg and Onie Rhoades; 1992
June Elliott; 1990
Bernadine Bentley and Dorothy Glennon; 1992
Cora Marshall; 1990
Peggy Wells & Margie Wright; 1995
Mary Hillis Totten; 1990
Isabelle Bodman, reciting Mother Goose rhymes; 1995
Natalie Larson; 1990
MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 27
SWEAT OF THY BROW
by Jack Warren, Central Region Operations Manager
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n my garage, I have a six by eight piece of heavy iron. It is concaved in the center, as if something has been hammered out on it. For years, it had been lying around unnoticed at my mom’s house, used among other things as a doorstop. It now is a symbol of my heritage. My dad grew up in southeast Missouri in the 40’s and 50’s. Times were tough back then, and my grandparents worked hard to feed and clothe a large family on a sharecropper’s farm. Grandpa twice had a farm that he worked with mules, complete with livestock and as much as 100 acres, large for that time, but lost it to cholera and financial reasons. I had heard stories from my dad about how they had to start working for a living at an early age to get by. Each year he was pulled out of school to help, so much so that he eventually gave up and dropped out of school completely. His job when he was too young to work in the fields was taking care of the mules and livestock and the ever present garden patch, which kept them fed through the long, cold winters. As he got older and could work in the fields, he picked and chopped cotton. My dad said that ”you would get a long burlap bag that would stretch out for ten feet or more as you drug it between the rows with a strap over your shoulder. When it was full, or as full as you could manage, it was weighed at the mill and that was how you got paid.” Working all day you might make a dollar or two. At times, the whole family would be in the fields and pool the money for the household needs and wants. When farming gave out, they cut timber and hauled it out with those same mules. Many times, I heard my dad say that he would be so thirsty that sometimes he would drink out of a mule’s hoof print. When my dad was 16, my grandma had to have an operation that they could not afford. He left home so they would not have another mouth to feed, for Bakersfield, California, with a friend to see if he could make his fortune there. I tried to imagine this, at 16 years old, he had never been farther than 100 miles from home, with a limited
28 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
education and just a friend that bought him a bus ticket, with the promise of finding work on a ranch there. He would send home money every week, still trying to help the family, even though he was a country away and hardly making enough to feed himself. When he came back home a couple years later, my grandma greeted him with a kiss and hug, and reached into her brazier and pulled out the money he had been sending home and gave it back to him. When I heard these stories growing up, like most young people, it just did not register in my mind the sacrifice, love and dedication to family these acts took, or how desperate times were back then. I just figured it was ‘Adams curse’ (From The Sweat Of Thy Brow Shalt Thy Eat Thy Bread). But after receiving that piece of iron, it finally sunk home. My mom told me that when my dad was a boy, one of the jobs they did as a family was tearing down old cribs, houses and barns when the opportunity arose. Everything that could be saved, was saved and used later or sold. My dad’s job when he was little was pulling nails and straightening them on that piece of flat iron. It had to take a lot of ‘nail straightening’ to concave that hard old piece of flat iron. I think now of the drudgery and hard work that he and my family went through just to survive every time I look at it. And it serves to remind me of where I come from. That piece of flat iron will one day be given to my boys, and I will tell them the story with pride of our heritage of hard working people and where we came from.
Bill Alexander James Bales Helen Beals Nancy Black Dick Brelsfoard Gerald Brighton Bob Byers Lenora De Van Ron Edgecombe Linda Grider Bob Flaugher
Jim Hartman
Donald Parkhurst
Mava Herbst Gayle Huffman Frances Kallembach Ruby “Jinny” Kaufman Bill Kidwell Evelyn Kidwell Wilma Kropp
Virginia Pasley Jeannine Patrick Matlida Rennier Louise Rigg Helen Rutledge Ronald Short Nellie Smith Rosa Lee Stambaugh Theresa Aileen Stinson Pat Thompson Juanita Turney Florence Walters Lillian Whisnant Scott Wiegel William Wierman Brad Wright
Dan Foran
Georgia Larson Jack Gallivan Dean Grant Barbara Harlan Betty Fombelle Harshbarger
Willa Mae Medaris McNally Donald Meador Greg “Chopper” Mechling Allen Myers Charles Oakley
. . . . And all others who have recently lost loved ones.
Our sympathy to the family of Nick Richardson, who was killed in an automobile accident in February. Nick worked at our Beason elevator. MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 29
Our Congratulations to ... Pete & Doris Kapper, married 70 years in February; Sierra Day, placing first in the Prepared Speech competition at the Section 16 FFA Public Speaking contest; Casey Worthey & Nathan Reeves, engaged to be married in June; Jim & Jeanine Laroe, married 50 years in February; Drew Martin, 7th grade student of the month of February, at Mt Pulaski Grade School; Cerro Gordo Youth League, recipients of a $2500 donation from Farmers Grow Communities, sponsored by the Monsanto Company, applied for and directed by Mat & Melissa Muirheid; Dorothy Haseley, 90 years young in February; Braden Fogerson, 2nd place winner in the Bement Spelling Bee;
Ben Flaugher, SAR award winner in the Cerro Gordo High School Class of 2016; Sierra Day and Jordyn Eads, named 2016 Illinois State Scholars at Cerro Gordo High School; Kirsten Kapraun & Alyssa Garner of MaroaForsyth FFA, honored in the Farm Credit 100 Fresh Perspective, in the Youth Leadership category. They have spearheaded five food drives, a coat drive, an animal shelter project and a military magazine drive, as well as serving as student mentors; Darrel & Sally Hicks, married 50 years in December; Bobby & Dorothy Bright, married 65 years in January; Secily Shambaugh and Brian Adams, married April 2; Sam & Kay Dick, married 45 years in Janaury; Michelle Paulus, recipient of the ag scholarship from the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce, presented at the annual Chamber of Commerce Ag Scholarship Breakfast; Dalton Litterly, named March Senior-of-the-Month at Mt Pulaski High School;
Dave Boyer, celebrating his 80th birthday, with the Maroa crew;
Jordyn Eads, accepted into Phi Theta Kappa at Richland Community College, pictured here with, her father Glen, sister Rachel, and mother Kathy;
Don & Verna Cox, married 60 years in February;
Rob Litwiller, 50 years young on April 1;
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Our Congratulations to ...
Brogan Shay, welcoming home little brother Dugan, born on January 7. Proud parents are Kyle & Nicolle Shay; proud grandparents are Keith & Vanessa Stinson and Dan & Judy Shay. Proud greatgrandparents are John & Judy Cain, Glenda Stinson, and Mary Helen Kikolla;
Moore Farms and Scott Albin, combining to form M&M Seed in Bement . . . and to Drew Larimore, their new representative!
Gary & Ruth Kuhns, married 40 years; Sovilla & Elva Gingerich, celebrating their 80th birthdays and 60 years of marriage;
Brock & Alex Edris, proud parents of a new daughter, Rylan Alexandra. Proud grandparents are Dave & Angie Ard; proud greatgrandparents are Harold & Nancy Ard;
Zeke & Nash, born in late December to Jake & Megan Shackelford; proud grandparents are Larry Shackelford and Julie Born; proud great-grandparents are Dr. Shackelford and the late Jessie Shackelford and Duane Born and the late Linda Born; Sierra Day, recipient of the 2016 Farm Credit scholarship. She plans to continue her studies at Lakeland College, studying animal science; Steve & Carolyn Albro, married 50 years in April; The Maroa 4-H Marketing Club, learning a LOT, as they marketed the grain donated by Macon County farmers to the Macon County 4-H and Extension Foundation. It was a learning experience for all!
MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 31
ILLINOIS AGRICULTURE
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ational Agriculture Week was celebrated this year from March 13 – 19. Its purpose is to recognize and celebrate the contribution of agriculture in our everyday lives. It encourages every American to understand how food and fiber products are produced, value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy, and appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant, and affordable products. Here are some facts about Illinois agriculture: Illinois is a leading producer of soybeans, corn and swine. Other agricultural commodities include cattle, wheat, oats, sorghum, hay, sheep, poultry, fruits and vegetables. Illinois farms cover nearly 27 million acres, about 75% of the state’s total land area. The average size of an Illinois farm is 358 acres. Nearly 10% of Illinois farms have swine. Nearly 23% of the farms produce beef cows. Marketing of Illinois’ agricultural commodities generates more than $19 billion annually. Corn accounts for 54% of that total. Soybeans account for 27% of that total.
2,640 food manufacturing companies are located in Illinois, processing crops and livestock into food and industrial products. Illinois ranks first in the nation with $180 billion in processed food sales. Illinois corn is used to produce about 678 million gallons of ethanol each year, more ethanol than any other state, using 274 million bushels of corn. The fertile soil in Illinois was formed by the glaciers millions of years ago. The food and fiber business employs about 1 million people. There are only about 75,000 farm operators. Illinois ranks 3rd, nationally, in the export of agricultural commodities, worth $8.2 billion. Illinois exports account for 6% for all US agricultural exports. Illinois’ 2,000 miles of interstate highways, 34,500 miles of other state highways, the largest rail gateway in the nation in Chicago, 1,100 airports, landing areas and heliports, and 1,118 miles of navigable waterways provide a superior transportation system for its agricultural products. ---Information from South Piatt Record Herald/Arthur Publishing Company
Ag Day 1990 was celebrated in Bement, with this farm display made by Paul Wright.
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GRAIN PAGE
As of April 1, Topflight Grain farmers had sold 75% of the 2015 corn crop at an average price of $3.72. (This compares to 86% sold a year ago.) 82% of the 2015 beans had been sold, at an average price of $8.86. (This compares to 96% sold a year ago.) Approximately 7% of the 2016 corn had been sold, at an average price of $3.74, compared to 11% sold last year. About 12% of the 2016 bean crop had been sold, with an average price of $8.90, compared to 9.5% sold last year.
You might be a farm kid if you think the smell of corn silage is one of the best smells in the world.
MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 33
Strikes and Flights with 2nd Grade
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t was strikes, spares and maybe an occasional gutter ball when we sponsored a bowling trip for the Bement 2nd grade class on February 11. It was a fun day as they bowled about 15 frames, learning a little about how to hold the ball, how to release it, and warnings to be careful! The day ended with lots of good pizza and soft drinks served by the great staff at Old Orchard Lanes in Savoy. The Decatur unit of the National Guard welcomed the Bement 2nd grade class to their facility at the Decatur Airport on March 3. Vanessa, Jacob, Denny and Pam accompanied the students, as we watched a video of the activities of the Guard and of their operation “Candy Drop”, where they drop packages of candy out of the helicopters to children in foreign countries. The students were full of questions about the National Guard, after the video. After most of the questions were answered, the students were split into two groups. Each group took their turns at looking into and sitting in the helicopters, and looking at and climbing into the airport equipment of a snow plow and fire truck. The airport &
The helicopters were one of the many favorites of the field trip. National Guard tour was a lot of fun, but we had to leave for the next destination of the Children’s Museum. At the Museum, the students participated in the “Body Walk”, pretending that they were a piece of food traveling through the body. They first learned about proper hygiene, by cleansing their hands. Then, once in the mouth, the small food went
It takes a huge snow plow to keep the runways clear at the airport.
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In the museum, some chose to work in the construction trade. Physical activity was one of the topics of the Body Walk tour. Push-ups were the next demonstration! through the mouth, the stomach and the intestines. Other important organs, such as the lungs and heart and bones were also discussed, learning the function of each organ, and how to keep them healthy. After all that learning, it was exploration time in the Museum. There were so many activities on both floors, everyone was kept busy. It was a quiet ride home on the bus, as many of the students were tired enough to take a nap!
Others, in the museum exploration, became an auto mechanic.
You might be a farm kid if your family instantly becomes silent when the weather comes on the news. MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 35
Friends & Family
It was a rainy day in Maroa ---- Dave Braden, Richard Hanes, Kenny Stahl, Dan Marsh, Dennis Hamilton, David Boyer
Loretta Bartram & Claudette Foran
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Mike Myers, with his basketball winnings!
Friends & Family
Jim Murphy’s granddaughter, with her snowman, and favorite cap
Vanessa’s granddaughter, taking horse-riding lessons.
Monticello FFA Ag Acquaintance Day, with Piatt County Young Ag Leaders, at the Asmark Center in Bloomington, learning about grain bin safety, and other farm safety practices.
MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 37
Friends & Family
Jessica Welch & Tracy Welch
Callie Gregg loved her pink TFG hardhat!
Kyle & Madisyn Meece
Dave Huisinga, at the Grain & Feed Convention, chosen to grab all the money he could, as the fan swirled the paper money in the phone booth.
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Friends & Family
Mary Flenniken & Ann Brewer
Norma Sparks and Pam Hissong
Anne Schable and Eva Harshbarger Joanne Nixon and Marilyn Mackey
Betty McCool and Sandy Lynch Vanessa Stinson and Charlie Bolin MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 39
Friends & Family
The Stinsons and their cousin - Brynnan, Mckinlee, Brogan, Chloe Tera Runyen
Gloria Litwiller, Mary Welch, Anna Bode
40 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
You know you’re married to a grain trader or a farmer, if . . . . . You pull off the interstate when traveling to check out a grain elevator you see from a distance. You lose your spouse once a year, every year for about 6 weeks. You are happy when it rains on the weekend during harvest. If you’ve gotten embarrassed when they try to negotiate at the supermarket checkout. You have never celebrated Memorial Day, Labor Day, or 4th of July. (Depending on your geography) When you ask what the temperature is on a cold January morning, they say, “3 under.” When your spouse is calculating how many months away something is, they skip February, April, June, and October. Your kids are the only ones in the neighborhood that want to be short in Monopoly. The names of your seven children: Jan, Marcel, Mae, Julie, Auggie, Sepp and Deece. And his dog’s name is Novy. If you’ve ever had to get a seasonal job at the elevator just to see your spouse. They forget your anniversary, but always know what the Dec-Mar corn spread is trading at. When the teacher asks your kids to recite their ABC’s, they respond: ADM, Bunge and Cargill. If they’re really advanced, they can go all the way to Zen-Noh. You completely miss a wedding because they had to stop to see a producer “for just a minute” on the way to the ceremony. As a result, You’re frequently overdressed for farm visits. As a passenger in his pick up truck, you spend most of your time either on the wrong side of the road or half in the ditch, because he’s “perfectly capable of driving while checking crop conditions.” Your family can’t leave to go anywhere until 2:15 EST and has to be home again by 8:00. Your shopping list includes numbers for filters, belts and cartridges. You find yourself spewing out marketing information you didn’t even know you knew, which could only come from years of hearing their commentary. Your spouse is the only person in the history of the church softball league called out after hitting a ball over the fence for a home run. Why??? They were called out for “shorting the bases.” They return home early from a July golf outing elated. You ask them why so happy? They reply, “It RAINED!!!!!!!” You have gotten a note from your spouse letting you know that the wedding is in K. Sometimes you feel like your worth as a spouse is at least partially derived from your skill as a tender truck driver. Your spouse asks you what the basis was on that new dress, or set of golf clubs that you bought. Delivering some number 2 takes on a whole new meaning in your house. While driving down the road with the family, you comment, “Isn’t that pretty field of corn?” Without saying, in so many words, you are confirming that there looks to be a good harvest in the near future, some farmer has done a good job tending the land, and by the grace of God has had good weather to top it all off.
Thanks to White Commercial for this commentary!
MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 41
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TOP U
opflight Grain launched its first educational series, Top U, on March 8. Derrick welcomed the group of 55 farmers to the Monticello office and introduced Keri Richardson from ADMCRS, to talk about the 2016 crop insurance choices. There are many basic choices, plus optional coverages that can be purchased to protect crop and price risk. It’s very important to sit down with your crop insurance agent and evaluate all of your choices. Dale Lattz, from First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust, then discussed “Knowing Your Bottom Line”. He presented information and graphs showing the decline in farm income during the recent years. This, of course, was nothing new to the group, but laid the foundation for his definitions and examples of ratios and numbers that farm lenders are looking at when approving crop production loans. He encouraged producers to review their financial statement with their banker, and then to keep it up to date, monthly or quarterly, to monitor changes in the numbers. He encouraged bringing problems to
your banker before he brought them to your attention. The second session was March 17, covering options and contracts. Drew Moore, from FCStone, explained options. Options are the right to buy or sell a futures position, versus a regular futures position which is an obligation to buy or sell. Option costs are known, compared to futures costs that are always changing; option strategies can be combined to offset risk and cost. Derrick Bruhn followed the option discussion with information about various grain contracts. He covered basis contracts, futures only contracts and accumulator contracts. Each contract has a place in a marketing plan, and can be used to enhance market strategies. Attendance was good at both meetings and questions were good. If you have interest in a summer meeting or topics, please contact your local TFG office, so that we can continue on with our educational series.
It was a full house at our first session of Top U!
Trivia fact:
Ag Fact – the Super Bowl is good for agriculture:
325.5 million gallons of beer were drank on Super Bowl Sunday. One bushel of barley produces approximately 565 12-ounce beers. A little bar stool math tells us that 6,145,132.74 bushels of barley are used to make the brews for the game. (That is 30,707,000 mil cans of beer.)
42 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY .... by Andrew Hanes, Safety Manager
M
ost of us can remember doing fire drills or tornado drills growing up when we were in school. Some of you may have even had to go through nuclear or earthquake drills. No matter what the drill, we practiced and knew what we were supposed to do. As we grew up, we started to take things for granted, either because we became more “experienced”, or we became complacent in our everyday lives. This may have been due to any number of reasons. Whatever the reason may be, most of us have fallen into the trap of not being prepared for an emergency. Hopefully, we have been lucky enough to not have an emergency happen. At Topflight, like many other companies in the grain industry and beyond, we are required to have written Emergency Action Plans. In these plans, we look at things like how to respond to different emergencies, how to work with the media, how to account for everyone on site, how and when training will occur and many other things. One of the main keys for successful implementation of any plan is communication. Without communication, we may not know who we need to look for or what everyone is doing to help work through the emergency. While the emergencies you may see in your everyday world may not be the same as we may see at Topflight, there still needs to be a plan. It may not be formally documented, but it still needs to be communicated to everyone involved. For some of the farm operations, we see a single farmer that
has some seasonal help. Other operations include multiple partners that may be individual farmers working together, siblings, generations of family or any combination thereof. Emergencies also occur at home, where living arrangements can be varied as well. Whatever your operation or household may look like; there are some key questions to look at and answer: What do I need to do in case of an emergency? Is that the same for all types of emergencies? What if I am alone and have no way to communicate? Is everyone aware of the plans in case of emergency? Have we practiced our plans? Sometimes, even our best laid plans may break down and fail. In these cases, having more people aware of what your plans are can help in trying to overcome the obstacles that arise. Benjamin Franklin once said “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” Failing when, or after, an emergency has occurred in the grain industry or in family life could mean serious injury or death. While some emergencies are out of our hands and may result in tragic outcomes, planning could minimize the amount of damage done. If you haven’t done so yet, take time to plan for emergencies now and know how you are going to respond. If you have made a plan, revisit the plan and make sure everyone remembers how they are going to respond and what actions they are going to take. Stay safe! MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 43
CONVERSATIONS AND CANVAS
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t was exciting to change the format of the women’s program this year! 90 women attended the program in Cisco and about 20 women attended the meeting in Lincoln. It was a shorter program than we’ve had in the past, with lunch, a speaker and a painting activity. We met in Cisco on March 22, enjoying a buffet lunch served by Basket Case Catering, then our lunch-time speaker, Holly Spangler. Holly began
her career with Prairie Farmer magazine about 18 years ago, and is now the editor of the magazine. She talked about life’s choices, how a person chooses to respond to life’s circumstances. As a farm wife, a farm mother, an advocate for agriculture and active member of the farm community, Holly shared experiences that each lady could relate to, and talked about some of her experiences in promoting agriculture.
Sharon Jones
Judy Haseley, Jill Alberts, Barb Sahs
44 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
The artistic painting was enjoyed by all! In the front, Julie Lieb, Emily Zelhart, and Jill Zelhart Following Holly, Heather Kelly and her crew of artists set up the tables with canvas and paints, and Heather helped each one create her own masterpiece painting to take home. She started everyone with a yellow sky, turning into blends of red and orange, then adding a silhouette of a barn and a windmill. The paintings were each unique and all artistic! The following week, we met at the Blue Dog Inn in Lincoln for lunch with our new group of ladies! We enjoyed a great lunch served by the Blue Dog staff, and then Holly told the ladies about her experiences on the farm, as a mother, as a journalist, and as an advocate for agriculture. At this meeting, Sarah Dufner was our painting coach, guiding us as we painted a barn silhouetted by a sunrise, with a plowed field (or a green field, or a field of flowers) in the foreground. Again, each painting was unique and a proud creation to take home. Both days were fun, with an interesting and entertaining speech by Holly, and the creative talent of our two artist-instructors. Heather offers painting classes through her company of Canvas & Corks, at the Steeple Gallery in Monticello, and Sarah hosts home parties and classes through her business of Paint Out Social, in the Springfield area.
Janet Jennings & Ellen Foran
If you enjoyed “And then the fight started” in our last High Flyer, here is a true life story: Dan: (looking at a painted canvas) What’s this? Pam: A barn Dan: It’s not very good. Who painted it? Pam: I painted it. Dan: When? When you were nine? . . . . and then the fight started.
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AROUND TOPFLIGHT ......
Colleen Fogerson gave us this picture that she took of a 1970-something Bement Grain calendar. The artistic view of her camera won her 2nd place! The picture is hanging on the back wall of the Bement office. Be sure to stop and look at it!
We welcome Zach Bradburn to the operations staff at Kruger;
46 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER
Congratulations to Jeremy Welch, celebrating his 40th birthday with his friends in the Monticello office!
We welcome Susan Kalita, to the Monticello office as our staff accountant;
AROUND TOPFLIGHT ......
We welcome Kent Helgemo, Milmine elevator superintendent; All locations have been busy loading out corn & beans. Steve was one of the truckers hauling beans out of Bement in April.
1927 plat maps of Piatt County are on display in the Cisco, PIerson and Bement offices. Andrew found the very large plat book in the files of the Cisco vault. He carefully pulled out the pages of a few Topflight towns and townships, and framed those sheets. Stop by any of these offices and look at the landowners and towns of Piatt County in 1927. MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 47
AROUND TOPFLIGHT ......
Roger, Rob and Steve removed the deck-walk, steps and bushes along the east side of the Bement office, to allow more room as the trucks pull onto the scales. Jim & Jake and Paul & Brian were also involved in digging trenches, painting and other work as the project progressed.
Topflight Grain was presented with the Growmark Grain Ceres award at the Manager’s meeting on April 14. There are approximately 60 grain companies within their system; each year they review the performance of each company through the analysis of each company’s financial audit. There were 5 companies out of the 60 that achieved at least 3 out of the 4 categories listed. Topflight was one of the top five.
Our congratulations to:
Zach Bradburn, father of a new daughter, Emmersyn; Zach is the elevator superintendent at Beason; Stason Kopps, promoted to Lead Superintendent at Milmine;
Brad & Amanda Dehart, married in April; Brad is the elevator superintendent at Pierson;
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AROUND TOPFLIGHT ...... Corn piles & bunkers:
Our operations crews have been busy picking up corn piles – they finished the Maroa pile in mid-March, and moved the equipment to Milmine. The Milmine pile was picked up in near-record time of about 9 days. Meanwhile, other crews were picking up the Seymour pile. After the Milmine pile was finished, the equipment moved on to the Emery pile. From January 1, 2016 through April 14, 2016, Topflight Grain facilities have shipped out: 1,754,300 bushels of beans, in 1987 trucks 550,000 bushels of beans, in 3 trains 41,100 bushels of beans to transfer, in 58 trucks 88,500 bushels of nongmo beans in 101 trucks 5,549,500 bushels of corn in 5,850 trucks 4,830,000 bushels of corn in 26 trains 1,253,550 bushels of corn to transfer in 1320 trucks It takes a great crew to keep our trains loaded. Here are a few of the crew in Bement, on an April train:
Paul was on the platform, controlling the spout as the cars moved along the track.
Henry was moving cars with the trackmobile.
Jake was on top of the cars, closing and sealing the lids. MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 49
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PASS GO AND GROW
he 123rd annual Grain & Feed Convention was attended by many of your directors and employees on February 14, 15 & 16. The convention is a mix of many agribusinesses, including grain elevators, construction companies, computer vendors, agribusiness services, grain brokers, and many more who work in the industry. One highlight of the convention is the trade show, where vendors display their products and services, and visit one-on-one with the attendees. The days were filled with meetings, covering financial analysis, the current railroad situation, CBOT contracts, Lynn Bruhn, Denise Docherty, and Heather Lawhead enjoyed the technology, arbitration, grain bin failspouses’ presentation, including the presentation by “Simply ures, weather trends and more. Pat’s Hats”. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the industry, connect with vendors, and visit with associates.
Sandy Davenport & Sharon Brelsfoard
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Cindy Meece
A COUPLE MORE MEMORIES
1965-66 Bement FFA
Steve Ayers, John Hendrix , Tom Dobson, Steve Hendrix, Russ Wright, Jim Lamb, Oscar Ingrum; Tom Jordan, Brian Selle, Jim Haynes, Chet Jamison, Mike Walsh, Larry Phipps; Dave Fogel, Bob Redman, Paul Doolin, Randy Tohill, Tom Rutledge, Mark White, Jon Wall; Gary Hendrix, Steve Selle, Tom Malone, Bernie Morris, Jim Whitfield, David Redman, Jerry Fisher, Dan Cahill, Bob McCoppin, Mike Morgan; Bill Larimore, Stan Wright, Dan Jarboe, Mike McHale, Mike Flenniken, Ed Medaris, Rick Stoerger.
If you have any old pictures relating to agriculture in Piatt County, please contact the Bement office at 217-6782261. Peg Vermillion is compiling a pictorial history of Piatt County ag and would LOVE to share your pictures. Contact us, and we’ll put you and Peg in touch! Atwood Grain Company --- notice the cannon out front. We think that was the complaint department! MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER 51
Topflight Grain 420 W Marion Monticello IL 61856
TOPFLIGHT GRAIN MISSION STATEMENT:
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CHAMPAIGN, IL PERMIT NO. 880
We are committed to the future of agriculture by improving the profitability of our customers through quality service and exceptional people.
52 MAY 2016 / TOPFLIGHT NEWSLETTER